


The Letters We Wrote to You

by OdeyPodey



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Ahaha I hate myself as much as I hate y'all, Letters, Mistakes, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:33:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27077296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OdeyPodey/pseuds/OdeyPodey
Summary: They were harmless letters.Nobody was supposed to see them.Just himAnd just us.Right?
Kudos: 5





	The Letters We Wrote to You

Caleb was sitting, currently, in the kitchen of the Xhorhaus. A book was laid down in front of him and his eyes scanned the words that filled the pages. Frumpkin was situated on a particularly sunny spot on the kitchen counters. He could hear the others were all up, causing a fiasco upstairs and on the first level with him. Caduceus was making tea, almost silently, on the stove across from him. Caleb appreciated the others attempt at some sort of quietness, even if it was impossible in the house. 

It had been a while since they’d been here, back in the house. Everyone seemed happy to be home. He settled down into his seat a bit more as he flipped the page. There was a knock somewhere down the hallway and he looked up. 

“I got it!” Jester called from somewhere down the hall, running to get to the door before Beau could. It was like he was living with a bunch of children but he quite enjoyed their organized chaos. “Hello Mr Postman!”

It fell silent. The response just barely reached the end of the hallway but something about the hushed tones kept Caleb staring at the door. Caduceus turned as well, setting down the kettle again. The two shared a glance as the front door shut, latch slipping into place. 

“I hope this isn’t too much trouble.” 

“Of course not, Mr Postman!” Jester was making her way down the hallway.

“I’d like to speak to all of you together, per request of the Bright Queen.”

The house felt like it had frozen as soon as the words left his mouth. Caduceus stared blankly at the door before moving towards it, placing a hand on the wall to stand by the door. Caleb stood from his seat at the table, shutting his book. They hadn’t heard from the queen herself in…. Too long of a time. He followed Caduceus and peered around the side.

“Oh-” Jester looked at him before looking at the group that had been forming. 

“We could go into the dining room. That’s big enough.” Yasha looked over to the door. Everyone nodded, a silent agreement. 

As they all entered the room, tension filled the air. Something had to be wrong. If the Bright Queen, herself, had sent a messenger then… what? Was there another war? Was a Beacon gone? Caleb glanced around the room to see if he could sense what everyone else was feeling. Of course, as he suspected, everyone else was equally as anxious. They were all fidgeting and unable to stand still as they waited. 

The messenger reached into his large bag, pulling out a stack of… something. They looked like papers that were held together by string. He set them down on the table and turned to the group. 

“I was sent to bring these back to you all, I assumed you’d… want them back.”

“What are they?” Beau stepped forward, reaching for the rope to pull it before stopping. Her eyes scanned the lettering on top of it. 

Caleb watched her. Something of dull recognition flashed in her eyes as she looked towards the messenger before back down to them. She pulled the bow on top apart and grabbed the top letter, holding it closer to her face. 

“Beau?” Jester squirmed in her spot next to Fjord, fidgeting with her dress. “What are they?”

“Our letters to Essek-” She lowered it, looking at the messenger. “He never got them?”

“Only a few.” He sounded more or less exasperated that he hadn’t left before being spoken to. “Though… policies changed. The Queen ordered for all letters sent in and out of the Dynasty to come to her before reaching the recipient… She read all the letters sent back and forth between you and him.”

Caleb stared at the stack as the feeling started to settle into the room. She knew. She  _ knew.  _ His shoulders began tensing up, his back muscles following. He could just barely see Jester's eyes widen as a hand came to hover in front of her lips. Silence filled the air. Beau looked back to the letter. 

“Is-” She looked like she couldn’t process her own thoughts. Her mouth fumbled… open and then closed. Her eyes shut. “Is he dead?”

“No. No of course not.” The messenger shook his head. “The Dynasty couldn't handle this issue with… immediate death. They hold trials. Until then, they spend time trying to force the recipient to confess. By all means.”

Beaus hand dropped to her side as she squeezed the note, crumpling the paper. Caduceus, for the most part, remained stoic. His expression hadn’t changed a bit. He just stared at the wall across the room. Jester stood there for a second before letting her head drop, sinking into one of the benches pressed flush with the table. Caleb shifted a bit. His stomach twisted into a giant knot, settling. 

“The trial date is the next coming full moon. About a week from here.” The messenger lowered his gaze. “She’d like you all to attend.”

“Fuck.” Beau covered her face. 

They’d all written to him, individually. It was supposed to be fool proof. They would arrive at his home and he’d be the only one to read them. They weren’t supposed to be kept by her. She would never find out. She shouldn’t have. The messenger shifted before nodding, heading to the door and leaving without another word. Tension sunk around them as the realization began setting in.

“I-” Fjord ran a hand across his hair. “Why did-”

“I don’t know.” Jester looked up at him. “She couldn’t just have changed her policy like that. Could she?”

“If she had a tip something was awry… sure.” Yasha sat down next to her, folding her hands into her lap. “Who would stop her?”

They all waited. This had to have been a joke, a dream maybe. Caleb assumed it had to have been a dream. How could he have been so  _ stupid?  _ He shouldn’t have written to Essek with such… important information. He could remember just spewing the words onto the paper without thinking, without even… judging if it was safe. 

“Excuse me.” He turned, leaving the room. He needed to leave.

He moved quickly across the house, pushing open the door to his chambers. His hands began shaking… from anger. This was  _ his  _ fault. He’d written to him the most, asking how he was. Essek was going to be killed for this crime and it was… it was  _ his  _ fault. He pulled open one of the desks drawers, pulling out the first copies of all of his letters. These were never sent to the other. They were all written and then rewritten to be sent off. He stared down at the stack before scooping them up and leaving once more and returning to the dining room. Nobody else had left, nor had they moved. He dropped the letters next to the bigger stack.

“Burn them.”

“Caleb-” Yasha looked up at him.

“Burn them all. Before the trial.” He looked back. “We can’t keep these. They all have evidence.”

“Whatever the Bright Queen is using against him she probably has on thousands of documents already.”

“I don’t care. Get rid of them.”

It fell silent as they all stood there, staring at the papers. After a moment Veth moved towards them, pulling her flask from it’s spot on her hip.

“I have a letter to write.” Caleb turned and left.

One person could fix this. He had no idea why he assumed they could make this better. But he had to try. They would make it better.

After ruining everything else, they owed it to him.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh. Hi. Yes. I'm well aware people already don't like me talking about this topic... so have a multi chapter fic ABOUT said topic.  
> Lol.  
> Matthew tell us what happened to Essek.  
> -  
> Anyways, this is just for idk a break from Oddities since I've rewritten it four times. Please forgive me for not posting it.  
> Have this for now :D  
> -  
> Thank you for reading, stay safe, wear your masks, and join me here for chapter 2.


End file.
